As Europe advances its digital transformation, cybersecurity and data sovereignty have become critical pillars of a resilient and innovative digital economy. This series of reports explores key developments in cloud security and the Eurostack initiative. From navigating the EU’s Cloud Cybersecurity Certification (EUCS) scheme to advocating for interoperable systems that break dependency on foreign tech giants, these papers shed light on the urgent need for secure, open, and sovereign European solutions.
The European DIGITAL SME Alliance is following the EU Cloud Cybersecurity certification (EUCS) process closely. ENISA and member states are aiming to create a voluntary cybersecurity certification for cloud services, with the highest level (High +) only be available to cloud providers that ensure that data is kept in Europe and is not accessible to foreign jurisdictions – for example through the US Cloud Act, that allows the US Government to requisition data stored in the US by American cloud providers, or the Chinese XX that allows the Chinese government to do the same.
This is just one example of why European companies are calling for the Eurostack. The Eurostack initiative is developing European digital infrastructure for companies to use, to break the dependency on foreign providers. Cloud services are a vital part of Europe’s digital daily life, and developing European solutions will enable spark innovation and unleash the dormant potential of the European data economy.
The development of the Eurostack and the European data economy go hand in hand. By offering interoperable solutions and infrastructure, European companies will be able to access and mobilise data in ways that are currently not possible, given the vendor lockin and siloed approach that currently dominates the AI and data landscape. With the training and development of LLMs being done by private companies with data that is withheld from other companies, innovation is stifled and Europe risks being left behind in the development of the next generation of products and services, despite the fact it is our data and market that are enabling these innovations.
The backbone behind the Eurostack will be security: ensuring that users and companies feel secure to use the components; that relevant legislation is respected when using the Eurostack and deploying secure tools and services through European infrastructure. The Eurostack will encourage a diversity of solutions, bringing together buyer and seller to develop the European single market and avoiding the single point of failure that the current system represents, as seen by the impact of the recent Cloudflare and Microsoft (reference) incidents.
The development of the Eurostack and the European data economy go hand in hand. By offering interoperable solutions and infrastructure, European companies will be able to access and mobilise data in ways that are currently not possible, given the vendor lockin and siloed approach that currently dominates the AI and data landscape. With the training and development of LLMs being done by private companies with data that is withheld from other companies, innovation is stifled and Europe risks being left behind in the development of the next generation of products and services, despite the fact it is our data and market that are enabling these innovations.
